But when a successful CEO of a big tech company dispenses some, you'll probably want to listen.

In a recent interview with Adam Bryant of The New York Times, Lloyd Carney, CEO of Brocade, a networking-solutions company with a market capitalization of $3.7 billion, shared four important pearls of wisdom for new college grads.

Here are two of our favorites:

1. You need to remember that people are always watching you at work

"They're making assumptions about you, informed or uninformed. You always leave an impression, whether it's the one you want to leave or not.

"It's particularly true for young people in this age of social media. You've got to be really careful about that. You want to be seen as the person who works hard, who is a good team player, who helps people get things done."